Project by

About this project

Gays in the Military: How America Thanked Me is an oral
history and photographic project documenting gay and lesbian service members
and veterans from World War 2 to the present based on their experiences in the military and
the effects on their careers and lives.
This project will be housed in the archives of the Rare Books,
Manuscripts and Special Collections Library at Duke University.

BACKGROUND

Although
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has been repealed, there have been considerable
effects from the ban on gays in the military over the years. The issues
follow a long history of mistreatment that gay and lesbian people have endured. Harassment and discrimination based on sexual preference resulted in lost
careers and personal lives. In many cases, these men and women - highly
skilled, well educated, patriotic, courageous and productive - attained high
rank, received numerous medals and held top-level jobs that were essential to
the military. Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" alone, more than 14,000
service members have been fired.
Many more have suffered over the years.

WHAT I
HAVE DONE AND WHAT I WILL DO

Through social networking sites,
word of mouth, and referrals from agencies providing assistance to gay military
personnel, I have photographed and interviewed over 70 people from all ranks in
the military. I began photographing in November 2009 after hearing an interview by Private Nathanael Bodon's mother speaking to a local radio station about her son being outed by a platoon-mate while stationed in Iraq after seeing photographs with his boyfriend on a blog . He was subsequently discharged. From November 2009 until May 2010 I photographed in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Texas. In July and August
2010 – with the support of grants from the New School University and the Palm
Center - I traveled the east and west coasts of the United States over a
six-week period recording oral histories and making portraits of approximately
50 veterans and service members. My intentions are to continue photographing
subjects in the coming year to amass up to 200 subjects.

This summer I will once again
travel into the interior of the United States - the central
and northern plains, the south and southwest and the northwest – with the
intention of photographing most of the remainder of the subjects for the
project. I am requesting your support to help fund this part of the project and
become part of a community of concerned people who regard all lives
equally. You will receive updates
and be connected to my progress along the way through Kickstarter, my web site
(http://vincentcianni.com) as well as on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and a profile on Out
Service.

OBJECTIVES

As a
documentary photographer, my aim is to reveal the individual stories and the
hidden side of people willing to serve and lay down their lives for our
country. Through narrative and portraiture we get a glimpse of answers. My
portraits and interviews will help answer complex questions about these brave
individuals, our country and ourselves.. The Rare Books, Manuscripts and
Special Collections Library established an archive in 2007 as a repository for
all my documentary work. The
primary objective of this initiative is to house the original interviews and
photographs as well as all related material from this project in the archive as
an historical record. It will then
be available to the public as a research and study collection.

Through
additional grants, future crowd funding initiatives and self-funding, I will
also print the photographs and transcribe the interviews for exhibition. The first exhibition is scheduled for
October 2011 at Fovea Editions in Beacon, NY, a gallery committed to present
important documentary and photojournalism to the public. It will then
travel to Boston and other cities in 2012. Any monies above the level requested here will be
earmarked for the expenses of scanning and printing the photographs, transcribing the interviews and mounting the Fovea exhibition and future
exhibitions.

FUTURE
GOALS

This
project is projected to reach a wide variety of audiences ranging from those
interested in documentary photography and photojournalism, human and civil rights, the GLBT community, to government and
political organizations, academia, the military and the general
public. This project can help provide an
understanding of a community who repeatedly experiences discrimination and
misrepresentation. There is
a need for continued discussion about sexual preference, race, gender and
human and civil rights - the focus of this project - even after the mainstream media ceases to report on DADT and
related issues.

You probably want to know where your money is going to. So here is an outline of the trip I will take and what it costs to get there and get around. All items are researched but taking into consideration fluctuations in air fare, gas prices, car rentals and how hungry I get or don't get, they are close approximations. Also, there are certain fees associated with Kickstarter that reduce the Project Goal Amount stated as well as postage to send out the Backer Rewards; the stated Goal takes these expenses into account.

FAQ

Rewards

Pledge $10 or more

A warm hello if I see you in your hometown when I am traveling this summer, a signed postcard from “We Skate Hardcore”.

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

32 backers

A personal thank you sent on a 4"x 6" work-print postcard and benefits from previous level.

You selected

Pledge $50 or more

26 backers

A signed copy of my book, “We Skate Hardcore” (postage paid for U.S. only; please add $25 for postage outside U.S.) and benefits from previous level.

You selected

Pledge $100 or more

7 backers

A signed copy of my book, “We Skate Hardcore” (postage paid for U.S. only; please add $25 for postage outside U.S.), a set of three signed 4x6” “We Skate Hardcore” postcards, two signed exhibition announcements.

You selected

Pledge $250 or more

7 backers

An 8”x10” fiber press print (signed, dated on verso) from “We Skate Hardcore” chosen from a selection of 10 and all the benefits from the $100 level. Postage at this level and above will be paid for both U.S. and outside U.S.

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

2 backers

An 8”x10” fiber collector’s print (signed, dated on verso) from “We Skate Hardcore” chosen from a selection of 10 and all the benefits from the $100 level. Or, alternately, your choice of an 8x10" fiber collectors print from "Gays in the Military: How America Thanked Me." Plus your name listed as sponsor when archived at The Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library at Duke University.

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

1 backer

An 8”x10” fiber collector’s print (signed, dated on verso) of YOUR choice from “Gays in the Military” and all the benefits from the $250 level. Plus your name listed as sponsor when archived at The Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library at Duke University.

You selected

Pledge $2,500 or more

0 backers

An 11”x14” fiber collector’s print (signed, dated on verso) of YOUR choice from “Gays in the Military” or "We Skate Hardcore" chosen from a selection of 5 photographs and all the benefits from the $500 level.

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

0 backers

A 16”x20” fiber collector’s print (signed, dated on verso) of YOUR choice from “Gays in the Military” or "We Skate Hardcore" (chosen from a selection of 5 photographs) and all the benefits from the $500 level.

Funding period

May 27, 2011 - Jun 26, 2011
(30 days)

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